A Scholar Minimize My Hair. Now What?

Teachers can sometimes think they’ve seen it all.

And then we see an in-class haircut. 😳

Earlier this week, a Reddit user posted a question asking teachers for advice on the scenario she found herself in. You can read it yourself, but here’s the gist:

• She (the teacher) was helping a student get a test done before lunch.
• While giving instructions to the rest of class, the same 7th grader she’d been helping came up behind her and snipped off a piece of her hair.
• She called admin, who removed him and gave the student two days of out-of-school suspension.

Even with the issue “resolved,” the teacher was still shaken by the incident and asked fellow Redditors for advice. Teachers weighed in from across the country with pointers to consider. Here’s where the major conversational threads landed:

1. Tell admin they need to remove this child from your class

Comment
by u/Clear-Development-75 from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

2. Tell admin the student needs additional counseling

Comment
by u/apairofwoolsocks from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

3. Talk to the student about respect

Comment
by u/nlamber5 from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

4. Out-of-school suspension was a reward, not a consequence

Comment
by u/Rosapose1234- from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

5. Press charges and get union involved

Comment
by u/Agile_Analysis123 from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

6. The consequence was appropriate, but the student needs to be taught appropriate behavior

Comment
by u/lennybriscoforthewin from discussion A student cut my hair…
in Teachers

Overall, the consensus in the comment section was that the student needed a different, more effective consequence—and that the student should be removed from the teacher’s room. In a perfect world, we would have:

• Adequately funded schools with personnel trained in mental health and/or psychology to address the root of student behavior instead of only working reactively
• More personnel for paperwork/administrative tasks so that administrators can do their job of supporting teachers and students
• Smaller class sizes to address attention-seeking behaviors

But until then …

What would you do if you were this teacher? Please let us know in the comments.

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